There's a big sign on the link to this thread. It says "No Haters Allowed" The other discussion below seems to be dominated by people who are just ranting about what they don't like. I'd like to have a discussion here about the episode itself. Spoilers below.

There are a number of recurring plots that are picked up and moved forward in this episode. The one that is really sticking in the back of my mind is the plot regarding Skye's parents. The obvious implication is that Melinda May is Skye's mother. I don't buy it. A lot of people seem to be making that connection, but I think it is more likely that May killed Skye's parents. Whatever the truth is it almost certainly has to do something with Melinda May because she showed some real emotion (anger) when talking to Skye about it.

The next plot piece I want to talk about is Mike Peterson. He's back from episode 1 and is a useful asset for dealing with super strong humans (maybe Green Arrow could use a hand). May is not happy about him being back and Ward has a real foot in mouth moment when he walks in. For me personally I'd love to see him join the team. I think the writers are waiting for feedback to see what the audience thinks before writing him in or out the rest of the season. In the end Mike "betrays" the team by bringing Coulson to the trap. For his part Coulson doesn't seem to blame him.

And then there's the whole Melinda May/Agent Ward hankey pankey. Just stop. The "works well with other joke" was bad, but the "don't take a punch for me" crap was worse. Make it stop and make it stop now. It was OK when there were no strings attached. There seems to be thick ropes attached now. Not a fan. I'm still hoping Agent Ward dies. I was disappointed when I saw him in the previews for the second part of the season hoping the bullet he took at the end of the episode was fatal.

And finally we have the big bad of the season. The clarevoyent? He can see things. That's for sure. What he can see I don't know. Po? Holy crap that guy is menacing. The actor portraying him is doing an amazing job. One thing is obvious. SHIELD sucks tactically. Skye and Fitz-Simmons are their tactical support and they're not tactically inclined. Is Coulson the key to stabilizing the serum so the super soldiers don't wear down? Coulson does seem like he isn't entirely human any more, but I think we're past the point of him being an LMD. I really don't know what to think other than Raina is going to get herself killed in the next couple of episodes. I have a feeling Po has one of those eye devices and Raina is walking a fine line.

Anyhow those are my random musings for the episode. There's a thread below for you to talk about the writing and acting and SFX. This is to talk about the plot.